Amritsar

This weekend I joined three friends on a trip up north to Amritsar. The original plan was to leave Thursday on a night train, sleep the whole way there, and come back Saturday on another night train, and sleep on the way back as well. However, who knew that train tickets needed to be booked farther than two days in advance? We, did not. So we were at the mercy of whatever tickets were available. It just so happened that the only trains in which there were four tickets available were at 4:30 on Friday morning, arriving twelve hours later: and we would be returning Sunday morning at 5:10 in the morning and arriving around 11:30, a nice six hours shorter than our train ride out.
So Thursday night we headed over to Andrew's host family's house for dinner around 9, for dinner and because his lovely parents offered to drive us to the train station at three. Soon after dinner, however, I was ready for bed. I ended up making it until about 1230 before I needed a nap. So those of us who fell asleep woke up at 3 as to leave by 3:30. We arrived at the train station, and ran into a couple problems. While tying to go through security, we got stopped and told that our e-ticket needed some sort of validation. After wandering around a bit, a nice man decided to take us across the street to where we needed to be. Once there, the man assisting us confirmed that we purchased our ticket in India, so there should be no problems. Ah, the joys of language barriers. So we got back to the train station and found what we thought was our platform, but there was no one really around. So Andrew asked around, and decided to go hunting for someone who would know where we were supposed to be. Five or ten minutes later, he came back and informed us that we were on the wrong platform, which was really not a big deal. We got to the correct platform and only had to wait around 20 minutes before the correct train came. The train came into the station and stopped, so we started walking towards our assigned car. But then the train started moving again. In the sleep deprived stupor we were in, somehow we all began running and yelling about jumping on the train. So, of course, that's what we did. We jumped on a moving train. Of which, stopped moving about 30 seconds after we had all gotten on. We got some interesting looks from people who were still waiting to get off. After a twelve hour train ride in a sleeper car, of which most of my time was actually spent sleeping, we arrived in Amritsar.
We decided to stay in the hostel type thing attached to the Golden Temple, so that was our first stop. There is room there for both pilgrims and tourists, both at a free will donation. The man helping us there was very kind, and showed us to a room. Our room had three beds pushed together, some lockers, and a ceiling fan. There were originally eight or so of us staying in there, but after he was that two were sleeping on the floor he moved them to a different room, which opened things up a bit. It was still quite an interesting experience. After we got signed in we decided to spend our evening at the Golden Temple. We went in and just sat around the water for three hours or so, talking, and getting pictures taken with Indian families.

Around dusk we finally decided to actually go into the Golden Temple. Inside is even more extravagant than the outside. It is full of gold, and fancy looking chandeliers and decorations. On each floor there was a center area where men were conducting readings. We made it up to the roof, and sat up there for a while while some sort of ceremony was going on as the moon was rising. Basically, we happened to go there just at the right time.

The next morning, we accidentally slept in until nearly 10, partially due to the lack of windows in our room. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself. Our first venture of the day was to Jallianwala Bagh, the site of a pre-independence massacre. British troops were ordered to open fire on a group of non-violent Indians of whom were protesting the Rowlatt Act, which in summary allowed the British colonists to imprison anyone, without trial, for up to two years under suspicion of terrorism. It is still unclear to me why the orders were made to begin shooting at the protesters. Over 300 people were killed, and many more injured. Over a hundred of those killed, died in a well while trying to flee the shooting. It was a very beautiful and well maintained garden, and incredibly hard to imagine that a massacre had happened there.

Our last main stop of the trip was the the Indian/Pakistani border. We took a 40 minute cab ride to the border, waited in lines, and got shuffled into bleachers. None of which I was really expected. It all seemed quite like a sporting event. The bleachers were packed with supportive Indians (The bleacher on the Pakistan side had fewer people due to the Muslim tradition of Ramadan in which they fast from sunrise to sunset. Who would want to come sit in the sun for a couple of hours after not eating all day?) There was also a section of bleachers for non-Indians, but somehow the girls in our group ended up on the Indian side. We waited in the heat for a while (Amritsar seemed SO much hotter than Delhi) and then they started playing music and some of the festivities began. They had young girls run the Indian flag up and down the road between the neighboring countries. About 15 minutes later a group of girls started dancing to the Bollywood music they were playing over the loudspeakers. Over time, the group grew to include boys and non-Indians as well. It was all quite entertaining. The actual ceremonial closing of the gates was incredibly interesting, and kind of confusing. Both nations had officials who ritually walked to and from the gate in official outfits and with high kicks. There was hand shaking, the singing of long notes, and the taking down of flags. It was all very formal, and seemed to excite everyone in the crowd. It was hard to see everything at the border from where we were sitting, but there was such a high energy it was hard not to enjoy.

Qutb Minar

So I don't have school on Fridays. Which is lovely. Actually. I take it back. I have "school" six Fridays this semester. We have field trips for our Cities of Delhi class on Friday mornings. This Friday was our first one to Qutub (Qutb) Minar. In class, we have been learning about the movement of the location of power over time in Delhi. One of the first significant powers in Delhi were the Tomars. Their city was defined by walls, as were many in medieval Delhi. So basically, after the Tomars were no longer in power Sultan Qutubuddin Aibuk decided to build a mosque/minar inside the walls of the old Tomar city. Qutubuddin Aibuk was the first Muslim ruler in the area. Apparently he wanted to make his mark.

So he took apart some Hindu and Sikh temples, and reconstructed them to make his mosque/minar. The architecture was incredible. As seen below.

It is unclear which parts were constructed by Qutubuddin Aibak, and which were recycled. There are a few spots which have human figures, uncommon for a mosque, therefore very likely originally from a Hindu temple.
Being there, it was interesting to think about the hostility between religions from that long ago is still carried on today. Not strictly between Muslims and Hindus, but faiths worldwide. The site was incredibly beautiful, but built out of religious devotion and as a representation of the power of the new rulers, two very conflicting ideas in my mind. The product, however, is a sight to behold.



I think one of the most incredible things about Delhi is how it is built around so many historical monuments, religious sites, and burial places. Almost every where we go in the city there are incredibly built and beautiful historical sites. The city is just build up around them. I'm not quite sure how to describe it. Sometimes, probably most time, they go by unnoticed.

An Update.

Last weekend we were invited to Andrew's host family's house for dinner in Vasant Kunj which is a ways southwest of our home for the semester. It such a kind gesture, and we were all very excited about more Indian food, and getting to spend time with someone's family. Living at the group residence, I have yet to really experience an Indian home or family. Needless to say, I was looking forward to it all week.
His family was pretty incredible, and very kind. His mom cooked amazing food, and made delicious mango smoothies. We also learned that mango season is over in a week and a half or so. So that was depressing news. Mangos are one of my main sources of nutrients. But dinner was a great opportunity to see the generosity and kindness of some of the families people in our group get to live with.
So this week started off interestingly. I planned on taking a sociology course at the Ramjas branch of Delhi University that meets on Monday and Tuesday. Last Monday, I was sick and unable to make it, but my roommate went to see if she was interested. The teacher, however, never showed up. On Tuesday of last week, I went to class, and the teacher showed up, but class was only twenty minutes long and nothing was really said. So on Monday, I took the hour and fifteen minute commute to Ramjas in hopes that class would be everything I hoped it would be. Unfortunately, my professor did not show up. Which is a bummer because a. it was an interesting class and b. I will be missing that opportunity to interact with Indians my age.
So I dropped that class, and added a history course through IES. The courses I will be taking this semester are: Beginning Hindi, India Since Independence, Cities of Delhi, and Indian Women in Film and Cinema. All of which have been interesting so far.
Although I have not been to many classes. I was sick Wednesday and Thursday this week. India germs are against me apparently. I went to the doctor, and am not feeling fine. A couple other people in our group have been on again off again sick. Hopefully everyone will be better soon!

Old Delhi

Eight of us decided to venture into Old Delhi today. We wanted to see the infamous Red Fort, and walk around the area. The red fort was pretty interesting, but a little too hot for my taste. It was less fort like, and there were more gardens than I expected. The architecture was pretty incredible.

We met an interesting man, who seemed to be very well travelled. He was leading tours around the fort. It was our day off, and we do not particularly enjoy spending money, so we just walked around on our own.
After the Red Fort, we headed back into the city to search for Jama Masjid, which is the largest mosque in India. We walked around the chaotic streets, and by walked around I mean some people actually knew where they were going. I did not, so I followed blindly. This is a video of us crossing a typical street in Old Delhi. New Delhi is a bit easier, but the same general chaos is there.

So we eventually got to the mosque, which is indeed quite large. It was an interesting experience to say the least. We had to cover our arms and legs, and take off our shoes, as with all mosques. Once inside, there was a large courtyard area. It didn't seem like a holy space to me. It was really neat. There were children running around and playing, and people socializing and relaxing. We stood out in our brightly colored smocks that were given to us before entering. But then again, we stick out most places we go. Like at the Red Fort earlier today, a whole Indian family (grandparents, children, et cetera) joined our group in the grass for a picture. They did not speak English or Hindi, so we just kind of sat there and smiled for a picture. Similarly, I was on the stairs outside the mosque and a man came up and sat near me. He proceeded to pull out his phone and take a picture of me after only saying hello. Then, his friend came over and the first man moved to sit next to me, put his arm around me and had me pose in a picture. This has not been an uncommon thing for people in our group. It is an incredibly bizarre experience for me, and is definitely taking some getting used to.
It was really great to get out and see Old Delhi. It's a different atmosphere and energy than New Delhi. I still can't seem to find the words to describe it accurately.

Adventure Time!

So. Today after class, my lovely roommate, Lauren, and I decided to go find a place to do yoga for the semester. We did some research yesterday, made a few phone calls and such. We found a place that was only ten minutes or so away by auto-rickshaw (our main mode of transportation). As picture below of which is not mine, but rather I found on google.

So. We talked to this man at the yoga studio to get some information. He said they have evening classes three days a week for 1500 ₨, which is incredibly cheap. We wanted to check out the place, so we went over to the market where the studio is located. Minor problem. We had the address, but no idea where the address was located within the market. And in Delhi, most people do not use addresses, but rather landmarks. So got to the general market and began our search for the mystery yoga studio.
We started off on the side facing the main road that we arrived on. The stores in that area ranged from nike, to high price jewelry stores. We asked around a bit for our destination, D-41, but no one knew where it could be found. So we worked our way deeper into the market. I feel as though if we were to accurately map our route, it would be a bunch of squiggles, with no apparent direction. Very few of the shops were labeled. At one point we stumbled upon a book store. I am currently on the hunt for a text book, so we decided to go in.
During our hour long journey we saw H, C, E, and eventually D block. We had to ask around quite a bit, and got pointed in various directions by people. We blindly followed all of the directions from willing strangers, as to explore/eventually find our mystery yoga studio. We found quite a few interesting things. The further away from the main road we went, the less english we saw and heard, and the more animals we came in contact with. We discovered what appeared to be more residential areas above some of shops the further we got away from more 'western' and tourist areas. Eventually we found the D block, and got guided to D-41. D-41 turned out to be a white windowless building with 'D-41' painted on the sides. And it was locked. We got ahold of the man we spoke on the phone with earlier, which was rather confusing. We decided to not stick around, and start making out way home.
The thing was, we didn't know what direction home was. We thought we did, or I thought I did at least, but then Lauren pointed out that it was rather quite, not a sign that we were headed towards a major road. We also saw an increase in farm animals. Pigs, chickens, and cows. We finally saw a busy looking road in the distance, so we headed in that direction. On the way, we saw a bunch of smaller shops. Tailors, convenience stores, and a bunch of little stores for the neighborhood. We finally made it to the main road, and found a rickshaw to take us back home. In the end, we really had no idea where we were.
It was pretty great to get out of the bubble we seem to be living in currently. Now that school has started, we will hopefully be out more, interacting with more Indian people. More adventuring to come!

Shimla

This weekend, our group headed up to Shimla, a mountain town in the Himalayas. Shimla used to be the summer capital for British viceroy, and later Indian presidents. The partition between India and Pakistan was made in what was the capital building at the time. The building has since been turned into the Indian Institute of Advanced Study. Basically, it is a place in which fellows conduct post doctoral research. We took a tour there, as the fog rolled in. Because it is monsoon season, the majority of our weekend consisted of fog and/or rain. We were practically living in a cloud.

Some of us also decided to venture up to Jakhoo temple, more commonly known as the monkey temple. It was quite the uphill trek, but the temple was pretty great. We got a blessing, and just spent some time up the mountain. The monkeys are pretty scary, so we avoided them. Because they will bite and steal things. We had monkey defending sticks, which were used only to make startling movement directed at said scary monkeys.

I was anticipating this post to be a step up from the last, but that did not happen. I will keep putting in effort to increase the quality of my posts. Sorry team. In order to improve your reading experience I have attached pictures/video of monkeys.